4NGELS · 4NGELS Programme

Project 4NGELS was initiated to connect the business angel networks from strong innovation ecosystems - Estonia (EstBAN), Finland (FiBAN) – with the business angel networks from the less advanced innovation territories - Poland (Cobin Angels) and Slovenia (BAS) and startups and other wider innovation ecosystem stakeholders from Europe. The project will be tackling the significant internal disparities existing at territorial level, by opening up and sharing the existing successful initiatives of cross-border investment, carried out between EstBAN and FiBAN over the last 9 years. The project is focused on raising the innovation efficiency within the startup ecosystem. Angel investors have an important part to play in the startup ecosystem financing framework, as they represent the most important source of funding for early-stage startups. If a startup doesn´t receive early-stage funding and fails to scale-up, the whole society is at loss. Startups do not just create new innovative services and products but they also create jobs, new infrasctructure and bring a flow of knowledge and expertise into a country. All these benefits have a bigger impact on the economy on a local and national scale.Throughout the project, the partners will be undertaking collective ambitions to understand how to successfully initiate cross-border angel investing in Europe, and implement this to maximise the impact of the benefits and reduce the innovation divide. In addition, the project will involve different stakeholders from all four ecosystems, creating a flow of connections and knowledge.As an outcome, 4NGELS will create a more interconnected, inclusive and efficient ecosystem benefiting the business angels, startups, other ecosystem stakeholders and society at large.